The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) partnered with the Navigation Center, a community-based organization, to provide healthcare services to people experiencing housing instability.

Through their partnership, CARES for the Unhoused (CFU) was created—a clinic staffed by MUSC students, residents, and physicians who offer primary care through telehealth and in-person visits.

CFU utilizes a ‘street medicine’ approach so that patients can access healthcare from wherever they are—from a bench in a park to an encampment. Patients have access to healthcare through a telehealth visit via a HIPAA-compliant phone or tablet or an on-site visit by a MUSC provider who comes to them.

“This wouldn’t be possible without community organizations. They allow us to first establish trust, then stay in contact with our patients,” said Cristin Swords Adams, DO, MPH, MUSC associate professor.

CFU provides more than 500 annual visits for patients who are disproportionately African American and predominantly uninsured. Without CFU, 38% of patients experiencing housing instability would not have gotten care.

Dr. Adams hopes to expand to preventive services and health screenings.

“For the unhoused population, care is centered around immediate needs, which means preventive care falls by the wayside,” said Dr. Adams. “We hope to change that.”